Massage Talk
by Kaliner
Summary: Niles's chat with the masseur in "Perspectives on Christmas."  When Niles leaves it's supposed to said 'hand' not 'head.' lol


**Massage Talk**

Oh, how I needed this. I must remember to thank Frasier everyone's done with the masseur. After climbing up an elevator shaft in my brand new suit, I needed this. I still couldn't believe those people in the elevator couldn't just wait to help me down. No, they had go sprinting away, and they left their damn Christmas tree!

Well, at least some good came out of this: a massage.

"Oh, this is the best massage I've ever had," I said.

"I'm glad," Daphne replied, massaging my tender ankle; she had the touch of an angel! She smiled. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Yes, of course!"

"Maybe I should give you your Christmas present right now," she said in a seductive, breathy voice that made my skin tingle with longing. I glanced up at her, and the desire for her shot up. She was wearing a nurse's uniform. A short one at that! Oh, she was absolutely beautiful!

I wasn't expecting her to do what she did next, but I was glad she did!

She batted her eyelashes and crawled onto the massage, her hands planted firmly on my bare chest and kissed me passionately.

I responded as any heterosexual male would when a goddess kisses him: I kissed back. I placed my hand on the back of her head and kissed her deeply. It was just like heaven!

Then…

"Ouch!" I cried. "You woke me up!" I yelled to the masseur who was busying himself with my ankle.

"Sorry, it's just a little tender here," he replied.

Please, that's no excuse! Tender or not, Daphne would be so exceedingly gentle. Just one touch from her would send those pains away!

Enough with your foolish fantasies, Niles! It's not as though they're going to come true.

"I'm sorry if I was a bit rude," I said. "My dream was rather…" What word could I use to describe it? "…exhilarating." Yes, that word was perfect!

"It's about a woman, isn't it?" He asked.

"And what if it is?"

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Why would I talk to you about my woman troubles?" I asked stuffily.

"I'm just wondering." Well, stop wondering! It's none of your business! "People usually tell me their life stories as I'm giving massages. I like talking with people."

I'm not going to tell him anything. Even if he seems charismatic. I'm not going to tell him anything!

"Here's the thing," I said. "Do you know Daphne Moon?"

"Your father's physical therapist, correct?"

"Yes. You see, I think she's amazing. She's beautiful, she's sweet, and she's charming. Everything a man could hope for in a woman." I sighed.

"So, you're in love with her." It wasn't a question; it was a statement. The masseur didn't ask me if I was in love with her; he flat out assumed it!

"Well…" I blushed. "I…." Love? Could my feelings for Daphne really be equivalent to such an extreme feeling? She was on my mind every second of every day. I did enjoy being in her company. I did want to be much more than friends. But... even a hopeless schoolboy had feelings such as these, and they almost always turn out to be small crushes that fade away once they find someone else. No, no, it was much more than that. This was the first time I had to come terms with my feelings. I was in love with Daphne.

"Yes," I finally said. "I guess you can say that I love her."

"Does she know?" He asked.

"No, of course not! I'm going through a messy divorce, and I know she'd never be involved with someone like that!"

"It sounds to me like you really care about her, though," he went on. "So, who cares if you're getting divorced? I'm sure she wouldn't if she finds out how you feel."

"It's not that easy," I replied.

"You sound as though you don't want to be with her."

The nerve of this man! How could anyone say that I don't want to be with Daphne, my love, my angel? I've never wanted anything more in my entire life!

"Listen, if there's one thing I'm frightened of, it's rejection. I am perfectly content with keeping my feelings locked away until a reasonable time has passed following my divorce," I explained.

"And what if she finds someone?" He asked.

I did not answer immediately. I hadn't though about that. I couldn't expect Daphne to wait around until I finally plucked up the courage to confess. Of course, she didn't know.

"I don't think she'll be happy with anyone," I said. "I'm convinced that we belong together."

"That's kind of selfish."

"It's not selfish," I said almost defensively. "It's not as though I was going to break up her relationship just so I could be happy. I know we belong together. She just needs to realize it."

The masseuse shrugged and continued rubbing my ankle.

Maybe it was selfish. Maybe I was doing this more for me than for her. No! I want Daphne to be happy! If she finds someone she truly loves, then I have no right to take that away from her.

I sighed dejectedly and stared up into the ceiling.

"If you really want her," he spoke up, "you need to make your feelings known."

"I know."

"Okay, we're done here," he said, patting my ankle.

"Thank you. I do feel a lot better."

I got off the table, slipped into the bathroom to change, and came back out.

"Thank you for listening to me," I said, shaking his head.

"You're welcome."

I nodded at him, grabbed my coat from the rack, and left.

I went back to Frasier's apartment to see if he was there; I wanted to thank him.

He wasn't, but Daphne was.

"Hello, Dr. Crane," she said, sitting on the sofa and taking an apple slice from a small plate on the table. "Would you like an apple?" She offered me the plate.

"No, thank you."

I sat next to her, mesmerized by her simple beauty.

"How was your massage?" She asked.

"Oh, it was nice. I feel a lot better."

"That's good! I feel a lot better too! We really have to thank your brother!"

"Yes," I agreed.

"I don't think I properly thanked you for being so kind to me earlier today when I was down."

"It's nothing to thank me for," I told her. "You were sad, so I comforted you. Any good friend would do the same."

Daphne smiled. "Yes." Then she kissed me on the cheek. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," I said, putting my hand to my cheek and absentmindedly stroking the spot where she kissed it.

"Would you like to watch a movie with me?" She asked, pointing to the television.

"I'd love that."

I was about to scoot closer to her when Eddie bolted out of God knows where and planted himself right between us.

I scowled at him, but Daphne seemed to find it amusing. She began to laugh and pet Eddie's head.

I shrugged and pet him too. He knew, just as well as I did, that it was too soon to let her know.

"Good dog," I said.

He wagged his tail and looked up at me, his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

Daphne put the tape in, and we were perfectly content, watching the movie.

**THE END **

**Author's Note: I would like to make a shoutout to Iloveromance! We both had the same idea, so I thought that was funny lol :3 **


End file.
